Rt. Rev. Thomas Samuel and Dr. Mathew Koshy Punnakadu, editors, A Christian Response to the Ecological Crisis.

Kerber, Guillermo

Rt. Rev. Thomas Samuel and Dr. Mathew Koshy Punnakadu, editors, A Christian Response to the Ecological Crisis, Tiruvalla, Christava Sahitya Samithi, 2009, 180pp, Rs 100--India; US$8.

Rt. Rev. Thomas Samuel and Dr. Mathew Koshy Punnakadu, editors, Green Gospel, Tiruvalla, Christava Sahitya Samithi, 2010, 142pp, Rs 90-India; US$8.

The Church of South India Ecological Concerns Committee seeks to create awareness among people about environmental and ecological concerns and to care for God's creation. As part of this commitment, these two books collect a number of articles from different authors that can help readers understand what is at stake with the ecological crisis and how the Bible can be used to speak to the diverse components of, and responses to, this crisis.

Although different in nature--one book addresses the ecological crisis from a variety of perspectives, while the other offers biblical commentary from an environmental perspective--they are reviewed here together as they are part of a common project that will be continued with three more volumes on what the editors call "eco-Bible studies".

A Christian Reqoonse to the Ecological Crisis offers 13 articles that tackle different aspects of the ecological crisis.

From rainwater harvesting to river basin management, with case studies from India, some articles deal with activities and policies, looking at how these need to be expanded, included in school curricula and adopted at interstate and international levels.

Another set of articles can be seen as bringing together analysis of the extent of climate change, the impact on biodiversity and on human societies. These focus on displacement of human populations and highlight the interaction between science and politics on the issue of climate change.

Finally, a third group of articles offers some more explicit theological considerations, though theological reflection also underpins some of the thinking in the other sets of articles. This review focuses on this set of articles, which present complementary approaches. Theological challenges are identified, for, according to one of the contributors, the development of theology and the church has included an anti-ecological stance. A contextual biblical interpretation in relation to an eco-vision is developed. A relationship is established between the ecological crisis and the sin of "placing wealth as the presiding deity of economic and political structures by this Carbon civilization" (M.R Joseph, p.83). The eco-vision of Jesus is affirmed, drawn from his own way of being and experience in the setting of a natural environment and existing alongside his "mission engagement with the sick, the disabled, the outcast, the marginalized, the women, [who] were clear examples of Jesus' understanding of the close connection between social justice and justice for creation" (V.J. John, p.67).

The book ends with a statement by the Church of South India Ecological Concerns Committee, included as an appendix. The statement clearly articulates what can be seen as a common thread of the articles in the book: "We, the people of India, are going to face a climatic injustice. The very group of people that has least contributed to the genesis and intensification of a problem is being placed in a position where it must bear its most severe consequences. For it is precisely this segment of our population that lacks the adaptive capacity to withstand the depredation that future climatic changes may visit upon us."

Green Gospel, for its part, provides comments on 24 biblical passages by almost the same number of authors who unfold the ecological perspectives within these passages. On 13 December 2009, the Church of South India Ecological Concerns Commission, in collaboration with the ecological commissions of the Mar-Thoma and Orthodox churches, organized a gathering to join thousands of churches in the world that were ringing their bells as an expression of alarm at the climate change crisis and as a call to prayer and hopeful and committed action. During this gathering, participants asked the following questions: "Why should religious people be involved in the climate change debate? How should religious people, particularly Christians, view themselves in relation to the earth and God?" (p.7). This book is an attempt to start responding to these questions. Conceived as an instrument to inspire and motivate Christians to get more actively involved in protecting God's creation, the book also provides material that can be used by clergy during sermons.

The two books edited by the Church of South India Ecological Concerns Committee, which are clear examples of contextual theology, show how ecological concerns, climate change and related matters are being incorporated into the activities and biblical and theological reflection of the churches.

DOI: 10.1111/j. 1758-6623.2010.00061.x

Dr Guillermo Kerber (Uruguay) is the programme executive responsible for climate change issues at the World Council of Churches, Geneva, Switzerland.